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(Washington, DC) -- An alliance of 17 leading nuclear non-proliferation organizations and other leading supporters of the the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) praised today's announcement that former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili, will head a "high-level" task force on the CTBT. "General Shalikashvili's leadership of the task force should lead to a more balanced, less politicized dialogue on the CTBT and its value to America's national security," said J. James Exon, retired U.S. Senator from Nebraska. "The Clinton Administration and the Senate should support the CTBT task force and work together to begin to repair the damage wrought by the Senate's rushed judgement against the Treaty last October," he urged. "The failure of the Senate to approve CTBT ratification puts the U.S. in state of test ban policy 'limbo' that is detrimental to U.S. security," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers. Kimball. "The debate over U.S. nuclear testing policy and the CTBT is far from over. The Senate can, after serious and sustained dialogue, be persuaded to reconsider and approve of the Treaty," he added. "By outlawing nuclear tests, the CTBT will impede the development of more advanced weapons by nuclear states, and constrain the nuclear weapons capabilities of countries that do not now have such weapons. U.S. approval of the CTBT will strengthen international support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and U.S. leadership abroad. Because the U.S. does not need to nor likely will ever conduct another nuclear explosive test, it is in America's interest to ratify the Treaty to encourage other to do so and to implement the Treaty's verification provisions to ensure that other nations are not conducting nuclear tests," said Kimball. A number of Senators from both parties have expressed interest in a bipartisan effort to revive the CTBT. Two centrists, Lieberman (D-CT) and Hagel (R-NE), have said "we, along with a clear majority of the Senate, have not given up hope of finding common ground in our quest for a sound and secure ban on nuclear testing." "No one should entertain the naive notion that the purpose of the renewed dialogue on CTBT can or should be to re-write or re-negotiate the Treaty," said Kimball. "Re-writing the Treaty to allow small nuclear explosions or to make the Treaty temporary is highly impractical and is bad policy," he cautioned. Following the Senate's 51-48 rejection of the CTBT, some extremist critics of the test ban have even suggested that the U.S. should resume nuclear testing to build new types of nuclear weapons. Former Reagan appointee and now George W. Bush campaign advisor Richard Perle has said that he endorses nuclear testing, saying, " low-yield testing that carries no negative environmental effects should not be regarded as an evil." "Rather, the Senate and the Administration " with the help of General Shalikashvili and the CTBT task force " should work together to stop nuclear proliferation and testing and to lay the groundwork necessary to re- consider and approve the CTBT," suggested Senator Exon. "America's vital national security interests demand " and the American people deserve " a more thoughtful and balanced review of this widely-supported non- proliferation tool," said Exon, co-author of bipartisan legislation approved in 1992 to requiring a U.S. test moratorium and efforts to begin negotiations on the CTBT, which were completed in 1996. The Treaty has been signed by 155 nations, including China and Russia, and ratified by 51, including the U.K. and France. # # # The Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers is a non-partisan alliance of 17 national nuclear non-proliferation organizations dedicated to the pursuit of a practical, step-by-step program to protect America from nuclear threats. For more information on the CTBT, see <http://www.clw.org/coalition/ctbindex.htm>
____________________________________ Daryl Kimball, Executive Director Coalition to Reduce Nuclear
Dangers 110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 505 Washington, DC 20002
(ph) 202-546-0795 x136 (fax) 202-546-7970 website <http://www.crnd.org>
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